Comments on: Khyra Ishaq – a tragedy that has nothing to do with home educators http://northstaruk.org/blog/2010/03/15/khyra-ishaq-%e2%80%93-a-tragedy-that-has-nothing-to-do-with-home-educators/ a blog about Christian online learning Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:20:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: shelleyt http://northstaruk.org/blog/2010/03/15/khyra-ishaq-%e2%80%93-a-tragedy-that-has-nothing-to-do-with-home-educators/comment-page-1/#comment-6 shelleyt Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:43:02 +0000 http://northstaruk.org/blog/?p=87#comment-6 It's always fascinating when people suggest that some kind of legislation will STOP behaviours and the tragedies that follow from those behaviours. For a start, the villification of home schooling for the behaviour of Gordon and Abuhamza will not help. Many children who attend school and interact with teachers and other students are abused at home on a daily basis. They are often so frightened and no more talkative than they would be if the abuser were present. There's a saying "locks only keep good people out". People who will do something truly vile will continue to do it whether there is a law there or not. And there are any number of ways to hide the abuse of a child. The situation in the US with Jaycee Lee Dugard proves that. Fine tooth legislation is just going to create a police state to the point that moral and honest people will have to break the law to do what they consider is right. There should always be legislation that protects children but it needs to protect them not infringe on their rights. Where school does not offer an education consistent with beliefs and values then children have a right to seek their education elsewhere. Legislating home schooling out of existence appears, to me, just another way for a secular pressure group to outlaw any belief system that isn't PoMo Atheism. It would be quite easy to guard children's rights another way. In Australia a homeschooler has to be registered with the education system and home schooling representatives are vetoed and vetted by the education system and given a group to audit and administer. Of course, the homeschooler can choose and request a particular representative. The christians tend to ask for a christian one, the muslims seek out a muslim representative and so on. The representatives are all screened by the government so that they are there to protect the children, make sure some progress is made in the children's education and that the children are not being abused in any way. That's it, the content and nature of the children's education is still with the parent. This creates a pretty harmonious relationship between churched and state. It works here, it's far simpler than outlawing homeschooling and allows for freedom of thought. It’s always fascinating when people suggest that some kind of legislation will STOP behaviours and the tragedies that follow from those behaviours.

For a start, the villification of home schooling for the behaviour of Gordon and Abuhamza will not help. Many children who attend school and interact with teachers and other students are abused at home on a daily basis. They are often so frightened and no more talkative than they would be if the abuser were present.

There’s a saying “locks only keep good people out”. People who will do something truly vile will continue to do it whether there is a law there or not. And there are any number of ways to hide the abuse of a child. The situation in the US with Jaycee Lee Dugard proves that.

Fine tooth legislation is just going to create a police state to the point that moral and honest people will have to break the law to do what they consider is right.

There should always be legislation that protects children but it needs to protect them not infringe on their rights. Where school does not offer an education consistent with beliefs and values then children have a right to seek their education elsewhere.

Legislating home schooling out of existence appears, to me, just another way for a secular pressure group to outlaw any belief system that isn’t PoMo Atheism.

It would be quite easy to guard children’s rights another way. In Australia a homeschooler has to be registered with the education system and home schooling representatives are vetoed and vetted by the education system and given a group to audit and administer. Of course, the homeschooler can choose and request a particular representative. The christians tend to ask for a christian one, the muslims seek out a muslim representative and so on. The representatives are all screened by the government so that they are there to protect the children, make sure some progress is made in the children’s education and that the children are not being abused in any way. That’s it, the content and nature of the children’s education is still with the parent. This creates a pretty harmonious relationship between churched and state. It works here, it’s far simpler than outlawing homeschooling and allows for freedom of thought.

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